Clamp



Feb. 14, 1961 R. F. LO PRESTI EIAL 2,971,233

CLAMP Filed March 5, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS Roy F LoPresfiArlan Vernon Feb. 14, 1961 R. F. LO PRESTI ETAL 71,233

CLAMP Filed March 5, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS Roy E LoPresfiArlan Vernon ATTORNEY United States Patent-O CLAMP Roy F. Lo Presti,Chicago, 111., and Arlan Vernon, Big Stone Gap, Va., assignors toGoodman Manufacturing Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of IllinoisFiled Mar. 5, 1959, Ser. No. 797,383

3 Claims. (Cl. 24-125) This invention relates to an improved clampingdevice for suspending an elongated conveyor component between designatedlocations on a pair of laterally spaced flexible strands of a flexiblesidefrarne conveyor so that the conveyor component will be retainedsecured to the strands at the designated locations during movement ofthe strands.

Certain definite and desired advantages are acquired by the type ofconnecting link that is described, disclosed and claimed in thecopending application of Roy F. Lo Presti and John R. Madeira, filedMarch 13, 1958, S.N. 721,236 (now abandoned). These certain advantagesare that the force which is created by an impaling means to impale astrand between an abutment means and the impaling means actssubstantially along the diameter of the strand; one link willeffectively connect a conveyor component to several different sizes ofstrand; the link is provided with an open portion through which thestrand is passed to position the link on the strand without having tothread the strand through the link; the link is further provided with aclosed portion which converges with the path of movement of the impalingmeans so that the strand will be urged along the closed portion of thelink and properly positioned against the abutment means thereof; andthat even when the impaling means is accidently loosened, the link willmaintain the conveyor component at the desired location since thepointed end of the impaling means is imbedded or immeshed within thestrand. However, under certain circumstances such as repair,replacement, relocation, etc., it is undesirable for the impaling meansto become imbedded or immeshed within the strands since it is necessaryto substantially completely withdraw the impaling means from the link inorder to remove the conveyor component from the strand.

It is the principal object of this invention to provide a clampingdevice having the desired advantages, as set forth above, and which, inaddition to these advantages, does not require that the impaling meansbe substantially fully withdrawn from the link when it is desired toreplace, relocate, repair etc., the conveyor component or the connectingdevice.

In order to obtain this additional advantage without sacrificing theother desired advantages, stated above, the improved clamping device ofthis invention includes a bracket that is carried by the impaling meansfor movement along the path of movement of the impalingmeans with thebracket being provided with an abutment means that is aligned with theabutment means of the link for impaling the strand therebetween. Thebracket is positioned so that the bracket closes the open portion of thelink; when the bracket is urged toward the abutment means of the linkandincludesmeans for positioning the bracket on movement from the abutmentmeans of the linkso that the open portion is substantially unobstructed.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a connecting device,of the type described, which is economical to manufacture, durable inuse and easily operated.

Other objects and important features of this invention will be apparentfrom a study of the specification following taken with the drawing,which together describe, disclose and illustrate a preferred embodimentof the invention and what is now considered to be the best mode ofpracticing the principles thereof. Other embodiments may be suggested tothose having the benefit of the teachings herein, and such otherembodments are intended to be reserved especially as they fall withinthe scope and spirit of the subjoined claims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a flexible sideframe convey-or havingcertain of the conveyor components connected to the flexible strandsideframes by a clamping device having the improvements of the presentinvention embodied therein;

Figure 2 is an enlarged plan view taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1looking in the direction of the arrows and illustrating, in detail, theimproved clamping device of this invention;

Figure 3 is an enlarged side elevational view taken along the line 3-3of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows and illustrating, indetail, the improved clamping device of this invention;

Figure 4 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view taken along the line4-4 of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 5 is a partial sectional view of Fig. 4 illustrating one of theadvantages of the improved clamping device of this invention;

Figure 6 is a partial sectional view, similar to Fig. 5, illustratinganother advantage of this invention; and

Figure 7 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view, similar to Fig. 4,illustrating an additional advantage of this invention.

Attention is now directed to the drawing wherein there is illustrated aflexible side-frame conveyor ltl having a pair of generally horizontallydisposed, laterally spaced, substantially parallel, elongated strands12-12 which are trained and supported along a given course by supportstandards 14. Suspended between desired loca tions on the strands 12-12are a plurality of certain elongated conveyor components, such asspreaders 16 and idler assemblies 18 which are secured to the desiredlocations on the respective strands 12-12 by a clamping device 20, to bedescribed and disclosed in more detail hereinafter, which is carried byeach end portion of the certain conveyor components. As illustrated inFig. l, a conveying reach 22 of a moving belt conveyor is supported bythe idler assemblies 18 and return idler assemblies 24 are provided forsupporting a return reach 26 of the belt conveyor.

The forms of the spreaders 16 and idler assemblies 18, as illustrated,are each one of many forms which these components may take in use in theflexible sidetrame conveyor 10 and it is to be understood that theclamping device 20 may be applied as well to other forms and kinds ofconveyor components, not illustrated.

The improved clamping device 20 may be connected by suitable means 28 toeach end portion of the selected conveyor component and for the sake ofbrevity only one of the clamping devices 20 will be described and it isto be noted that each of the clamping devices 20 comprises an elongatedsubstantially C-shaped clamping member 30 having a back 32, upper lip 34and a lower lip 36. The lips 34 and 36 provide a channel for thereception of a cable strand 12. A connecting link or tail 40 forconnecting the clamp ing device 20 to the means 28 extends from apartially elongated slotted portion 32 of the back 32 of the clampingmember 30 in a direction that is generally opposed to the direction inwhich the lips 34-36 extend.

It is to be noted, as illustrated in Figs. 4 and 7, that the clampingdevice 20 is so positioned and disposed on the, strand 12'that the tail40 extends generally laterally inwardly and downwardly relative to thecourse along which the conveyor is trained so that the end portions ofthe conveyor component will be disposed below the eifective workingheight of the strands 1212.

The upper lip 34 defines a bight or channel 42, which, as illustrated,is in the form of a concave surface that engages the strand 12. Theother lip 36 of the clamping member 30, is substantially flat and isprovided with an internally threaded opening 44 that is disposed inalignment with the channel 42.

An elongated impaling means 46, in the form of an externally threadedbolt having one end portion 48 pointed and an eye 50 forming the otherend portion, is threadably mounted within the opening 44 with thelongitudinal axis XX of the impaling means 46 being in. alignment withthe axis of the channel 42 with the impaling means being moveable in adirection toward and from the channel 42 with the path of such movementconverging with the back 32 of the link 30 in the direction of thechannel 42.

A clamping jaw 52 is carried by the impaling means 46 for movementtherewith and it is to be noted that the clamping jaw 52 is separatefrom and independent of the clamping member 30. The clamping jaw 52 issubstantially U-shaped and includes an intermediate portion '54 having apair of leg portions 56-56 which extend therefrom in substantiallynormal relationship thereto toward the link 30. One of the leg portions56, hereinafter called the lower leg portion, is substantially flat andis positioned outside of the clamping member 30 below the lower endportion thereof. The lower leg portion. ofthe clamping jaw 52 isprovided with an elongated slot 58 that extends generally laterallyrelative to the strand 12 and which is disposed in alignment with thethreaded opening 44 in the lower end portion of the clamping member 30for a purpose to be disclosed hereinafter. It is to be noted that theimpaling means 46 extends through the slot 58 and that the slot 58 islarger than the. impaling means 46 so that the clamping jaw 52 issubstantially free of contact with this portion of the impaling means 46and is free to move generally laterally relative to the conveyor course.

The other leg portion 56 of the clamping jaw 52 extends through theopening 38 defined by the lips 34, 36 of the clamping member 30 andterminates in an abutment means 60, in the form of a concave surface asillustrated, that is opposed to the channel 42 defined by the upperendportion of the clamping member 30. An indentation 62 is provided onthe upper leg portion of the clamping jaw 52 in alignment with thelongitudinal axis XX of the impaling means 46 and the pointed endportion 48 of the impaling means 46 is received within the indentation62 for urging the abutment means 60 of the clamping jaw 52 toward andfrom the abutment means 42 of the clamping member 30 to grip or clampthe strand 12 therebetween with the line of force created by theimpaling means passing substantially through a diameter of the strand12.

In order for the clamping device to be effective in making a clampingconnection for the selected conveyor component to strands which differor vary in cross-sectional size, note Fig. 6 wherein three diiferentsizes of strands are illustrated in dotted lines, the upper lip 34 ofthe clamping device is provided with an elongated recess or notch 64that extends generally longitudinal relative to the strand 12 into whichthe upper leg portion of the clamping jaw 52 may move on clampingstrands 12' which may be of small cross-sectional size. Also, it is tobe noted that on clamping strands 12" of relatively largecross-sectional size that the upper leg portion of the clamping jaw 52will not pass as far into the recess 64.

In operation, with the impaling means 46 retracted, as illustrated inFig. 7, and the eye. 50 being disposed in a plane substantially commonwith the plane of the strand 12, the clamping jaw, 52 is positioned sothat the opening 38 between the end portions 34 of the link 30 issubstantially unobstructed and the strand 12.may be passedtherethroughinto the confines of the clamping member 30.

As illustrated by the dotted lines of'Fig. 5 if the strand 12 ispositioned along the back 32 of the clamping member 30 the upper legportion of the clamping jaw 52 is also passed through the opening 38,the pointed end portion 48 or" the impaling means 46 is positionedwithin the indentation 62 and as the impaling means 46 is moved towardthe channel 42 of the clamping member 30 the abutment means 60 of theclamping jaw 52 urges the strand 12 along the back 32 of the clampingmember 30 until the strand 12 is properly positioned to be grippedbetween the channels 42 and 60. In the clamping position, as justdescribed, it is to be noted that the intermediate portion 54 of theclamping jaw 52 eifectively closes the opening 38 between the lips 34and 36 of the clamping member 30.

Also, in the operative clamping position, Fig. 4, the impaling means 46is disposed in a substantially vertical plane that is common to thestrand 12 and, extends gener ally downwardly therefrom so that there is,in effect, no obstacle that projects laterally outwardly along theconveyor COUISC.

While the invention has been described in terms of embodiment which ithas assumed in practice, the scope.

of the invention should not be deemed to be limitedby the preciseembodiment herein illustrated, such other era; bodiments being intendedto. be reserved especially as they; fall within the scope of the claimshere appended.

We claim as our invention:

1. A cable clamping device, comprising an elongated away and extendedrearwardly therefrom and, from the cable to form a connecting link, anintermediate portion. of the downturned upper lip being removed to forma notch, a clamping screw mounted in the lower lip, a substantiallyU-shaped cable clamping jaw having a pair of substantially parallellegs, and one of said legs having an elongated slot engaged over saidscrew and the other leg received in said notch to engage and clamp saidcable in said channel, said elongated slot in said one leg per mittingtilting of the clamping member away from the notch to permit entry of acable or the like into said channel.

2. A clamping device according to claim 1, including a depression in theinner face of said other leg of the, clamping jaw, said screw beingpointed, and having the point thereof engageable in said depression.

3. The structure as defined in claim 1, wherein the other leg of theclamping jaw has an upwardly facing concavity adapted to engage andconfine a cable in said channel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS480,810 Downie Aug. 16, 1892 1,586,939 Bement June 1, 1926 FOREIGNPATENTS 512,968 Germany Nov. 20, 1930

